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A DAY can make a great deal of difference. On Monday, the prime minister and his senior aides, along with senior military officials, met to review progress on the National Action Plan. The meeting concluded that progress in some key areas was not satisfactory.
Crucially, the official reports of the meeting did not specify what new steps were decided on to improve implementation of NAP in the areas where progress was found wanting.
The next day came the institutional blowback. In a blunt statement following the corps commanders’ conference held on Tuesday, the ISPR communicated the military’s unhappiness with the extent to which the civilian side of the state is allegedly lagging behind the military side in fighting terrorism and extremism.
Also read: Implementing NAP is a shared responsibility, govt reiterates
Clearly, it cannot be a welcome state of affairs when the military leadership is publicly assailing the civilian leadership of the country. What compounds that problem is that a day earlier the army chief himself participated in the NAP review meeting convened by the prime minister.
Could the specific concerns the army leadership has about NAP’s implementation not have been communicated in private?
There is another aspect to the problem: are the military’s claims of success in fighting terrorism and militancy really what they are made out to be? While no one would claim that the civilian side of the state is performing adequately, it is also the case that the civilian shortcomings are in full view of the public.
Is that necessarily so in the case of the military? When it comes to military operations in Fata, for example, are the frequent claims of sustained progress in any way independently verifiable?
While Operation Zarb-i-Azb has disrupted militant networks in North Waziristan and reclaimed territory that militant groups dominated for years, there was never any road map to success declared by the military in advance. That means there is no way of knowing if Zarb-i-Azb is going according to plan and original expectations.
Furthermore, with the majority of the IDPs yet to be resettled, it is not known at what cost the military successes have come. Consider the situation in adjoining South Waziristan, where a military operation launched in 2009 has yet to lead to the full normalisation of the agency.
Finally, presuming the military’s intention is to work in coordination with a civilian leadership jolted into action, were Tuesday’s statements via the media in any way helpful to the very goal the military is ostensibly trying to achieve?
In the realm of civil-military relations, a civilian leadership is unlikely to be humiliated or coerced into doing its job by the military. Such public pressure may in fact breed more resentment among the civilian leadership and help thwart the very goal the military is trying to achieve.
Fighting terrorism and militancy must remain a national priority. The civilians need to do more. The military needs to be wiser.
Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2015
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Comments (70) Closed
Nov 12, 2015 03:22am
Military needs to be under civilian government in a democracy. PERIOD. Not the other way round.
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Nov 12, 2015 04:02am
Yes , Zarb-E-Azb is a complete success, look how peaceful country is now and how bad the situation was before , all thanks to the champion of the masses Raheel Sharief, all RaW camps have been dismantled and their sympathisers and foot soldiers terminated.
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Nov 12, 2015 04:18am
Agreed
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Nov 12, 2015 04:37am
The statement of ISPR came at the time when the army chief is scheduled to embark on an important visit to the US by next week. Certainly this will convey a wrong message of frictions in the working relation between the civilian and military leadership. Although the army has won great popularity and repaired its tarnished image in the eyes of the general public but the role of civilian leadership also deserves to be respected and appreciated. every institution must work within the constitutional limits and the democratic set up must continue to flourish.
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Nov 12, 2015 06:52am
A very good editorial. I hope this analysis prevails!
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Nov 12, 2015 07:53am
The army can not be blamed for the settlement problem of IDP. These are the areas where Civilian government seems lacking. Considering how much money is announced in each by-pols constituency and for people of earth quack, IDPs , tells the story in big picture. Also when the opposition shrinks merely to 33 votes then other forces comes into play its game.
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Nov 12, 2015 08:04am
Let the nation undertake to insist on sitting on armchairs and castigating severely anybody who attempts to address the issues. That will make people feel like they have done something.
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Nov 12, 2015 08:42am
Very brave editorial. Keep it up Daily Dawn!
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Nov 12, 2015 08:57am
very good editorial ....there is no clear map regarding operation in FATA,Karachi and Baluchistan.If they want to run government should come openly instead of using civilian shield,they are already running alternate parliament every month a tradition set by Gen. Zia
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Nov 12, 2015 10:16am
to the point..
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Nov 12, 2015 10:19am
the editorial says that no one knows about the success of Operation Zarb-i-Azb. in my view the lower level of terrorist activities in the country since the start of Operation Zarb-i-Azb is one yard stick that speaks of the success of the Operation
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Nov 12, 2015 10:42am
a perfect nd brave analysis of civil military relations in pakistan. We are in dire need to keep institutions in their constitutional limits and let the civilians to play their role in their essence without any coercion
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Nov 12, 2015 11:09am
Do you think IDPs are enjoying in camps ??? Historically, the moment they will feel that there area is safe they will go back immediately.
Now the question is that is the area safe Now? & what it has to do with governance?
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Nov 12, 2015 12:37pm
@devon Only if the Civilian Government puts the interest of State before their own, the Military has only usurped power when the civilian government has failed, Why that's another question that civilian governments need to answer for themselves.
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Nov 12, 2015 12:44pm
non sense analysis.
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Nov 12, 2015 12:45pm
What about economic terrorism and damaging Pakistan's Islamic Ideology?
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Nov 12, 2015 01:14pm
Military's complaint in valid and it came in public when NAP meeting did not declare the dissatisfaction shown by the military leadership on poor (rather no) performance of civil leadership. Civil leadership has shown that it is not serious in doing its part of taking action against religious seminaries.
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Nov 12, 2015 01:18pm
Why are you confusing people of Pakistan. What is civilian government? Is there any check n balance on top of them? A/c to our constitution it should be president of Pakistan who is powerless money eater. If there is a supreme institution who make sure civilian government is fulfilling public rights? Then there will never be a problem among government institution. You should stressed toward this issue.
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Nov 12, 2015 01:22pm
Can't be better!
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Nov 12, 2015 01:38pm
Superb analysis. From a vantage point of Karachi, I can second the points raised by the editorial. There is no doubt that things have improved in Karachi but a rational analysis would make one ask what was the ultimate end which keeps being repeated with due solemnity. Confusion is added when rangers come up with vague statements like that in the new phase the operation is now going to be focused on target killers as if it was something else they were targeting so far. Allegations of partiality remain rife when characters like Zulfiqar Mirza whose Amn Committee gave an exponential push to Khi's crime rate remain untouched.
In any case, the big question remains: what's the ultimate target of Khi operation - is it to make rangers a permanent landmark. It is only fundamental changes in Karachi's governance on a metropolitan scale which will ensure that Karachi does not become a running sore on Pakiatan's body politics. There is an infuriating silence on this aspect by all concerned.
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Nov 12, 2015 02:22pm
@ayub u mean if people are comitting suicide and govt is busy looting the nation we should watch and say its democracy.. just for ur info this is not democracy .. army has to play a role here and if the govt wont listen this time it will be too late for them and then army will not sit idle ... martial law will be inevitable then....
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Nov 12, 2015 02:29pm
@devon If the civilian government is worth anything. Constitution is not supreme, people are.
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Nov 12, 2015 02:34pm
Vote in strong intelligent intellectual leaders then the Millitary will lose political power over time as happened in Turkey. Vote in iliterate weak and incompetent corrupt leaders then the Millitary will carry on weilding political power.
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Nov 12, 2015 02:35pm
@ayesha ROLE OF CIVILIAN politicians seems to be corruption
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Nov 12, 2015 02:37pm
@Zak You make these blunt statements based on absolutely no facts or figures. Get an education before commenting here.
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Nov 12, 2015 02:43pm
Very discourteous, unbecoming and outrageous on part of the ISPR. It is the government that dictates not the other way round. As the editorial correctly puts, any inhibitions or lack of cooperation from any quarters could have been addressed through proper channels and not propagated through the media. The ISPR should be restricted to only issue press releases pertaining to the military's operational activities.
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Nov 12, 2015 02:48pm
Frequent military intervention in civilian matters in Pakistan has weakened the government as a result of which the government is now perceived by the people as weak and impotent. What people need to understand is that the more the military gets involved in civilian issues, the weaker the government becomes until it cant do anything without military help. Is this what the people really want.
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Nov 12, 2015 03:05pm
Is it possible that the military operation is not going as well as planned and now we are looking for scapegoats. Vietnam comes to mind. It was only when press was allowed access that American opinion woke to seeing the impending disaster. Unless the press is allowed unfettered access to FATA we will never get an objective view. We are being given subjective information in the form of statiscs. The PM appears to by a bystander and gives the impression of being satsfied with the military. Why not take a tour of the areas? The defence minister is conspicious by his absence at the top meetings. Military operations should only allowed when plan B is ready to be executed. This is the responsibility of the civil adminstraion. This is what the military appears to be moaning about.
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Nov 12, 2015 03:10pm
Even the most obstinate can feel the difference in the law and order situation which is the direct result of the military operation.
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Nov 12, 2015 03:30pm
Agreed with the last statement "The civilians need to do more. The military needs to be wiser." yet the reason why the military is making noise is very simple. Lack of commitment and progress from the Civilian side. The civilian govt needs to produce results, rather than making noise.
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Nov 12, 2015 03:34pm
@devon It may be true under normal circumstances, but in case of WAR military has to be in the front
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Nov 12, 2015 04:06pm
@devon
Yes there is no other way, I fully agree; provided it is a democracy and not loot and plunder like we have in Pakistan; self seeking, uncaring, unaccountable, corrupt, lacking in vision and aptitude,above the law and constitution, nurturing and sustaining armed wings, target killers, land mafia, kidnappers and extortionists.
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Nov 12, 2015 04:06pm
some one said some thing very nicely and i think it none but Obama....and it is very well valid for Pakistan as well "We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."the question is are we going to do so....Poverty and corruption is our number one enemy....
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Nov 12, 2015 04:13pm
The situation has been visibly improved. Thanks to the army and it's leadership.
Now need is to consolidate the gain. Persistent efforts required to sustain the peace.
All attention should be focussed on achieving goal to make the country free of terrorism and on path of progress and prosperity.
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Nov 12, 2015 04:15pm
@Timeto stopthis u r right but what next Govt wants to strengthen itself? Heaps of corrupt ministers which are busy in filling up there pockets???
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Nov 12, 2015 04:25pm
@devon What country are you talking about? If Pakistani Military was under civilians, the Corrupt politicians would have sold the last Tank of the Army. The deterrence the country has would be long gone. I hope the Military role grows to catch every corrupt politician and clean the country.
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Nov 12, 2015 04:26pm
No one needs a sham democracy!
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Nov 12, 2015 04:30pm
@Timeto stopthis Really??? There was not Military intervention during Zardari's regime and the PPP sold every piece of land and asset they could. Who destroyed the Railway, PIA and other institutions. Not Military - think before you comment.
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Nov 12, 2015 04:48pm
Soldiers are to be for action on orders without using their own wisdom. It is the work of martial-minds to make best possible moves in their control rooms and issue orders to the operating soldiers. Civilian leaders have to take political, diplomatic and strategic decisions in consultation with relevant arms of the Government.
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Nov 12, 2015 04:51pm
Civil govt is a total failure, and has no political will to take any action against terrorists. They are very much part of the problem as far as economic terrorism is concerned. Regardless how much pressure military put on them, civil govt is not going to put noose around its own neck.
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Nov 12, 2015 05:01pm
The last two sentences really are the best way forward.
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Nov 12, 2015 05:04pm
What I foresee is as follows.
Civilian government,( so called Democratic government) is not serious to let army handle the menace of terrorism, target killing and particularly loot and plunder. Look what is happening in Karachi. They are trying to put all sort of hurdles in the way of rangers achievments. Sind govt is asking to have their own NAB and FIA. At one point they were thinking not to extend Rangers mandate.
The target now is to curtail the army/ rangers powers .Eventually, They will loose interest in their operation. General Raheel Sharif will retire. Army will leave the scene and corruption , killing , terrorism will prevail.
Note that Zardari had announced it before leaving for Dubai, ' you are here for a short period of time and we are here to stay'.
All the so called political Forces , that is , PML, MQM, Peoples party and there cronies , do not want any interference in loot and plunder.
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Nov 12, 2015 05:05pm
@Zak : Don't take this short term success of Zerb-e-Azb as achievement, there is lot more to done specially the presence of sleeper cells of terrorists in main cities like Karachi could be very dangerous if not handled with care. Don't forget how easily a safoora incident had happened while people were claiming victory in Zarb-e-Azb. These terrorists have roots wide spread in Pakistan and I see nothing from Civilian Government to take this matter seriously. Where are the Madressa reforms, education reforms, economy reforms. The biggest evil we are facing is the poverty and illiteracy that leads to terrorism in the country. So the Military is right in claiming and pressurizing Government to do more in this regard. Killing few bunch of terrorists without eradicating the nurseries of terrorism will only give you some more time for breathing but eventually not forever.
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Nov 12, 2015 05:05pm
All corp commanders should be court Martialed for breaking the chain of command.
Chief of the army staff should report to defense secretary, and not even to the minister.
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Nov 12, 2015 05:06pm
@Mobeen You are right but thats where the opposition's role becomes important as they are there to question the performance of the ruling party. A strong media plays an important roles by exposing corruption in government. The various law enforcement agencies and courts also play a role by ensuring that corrupt ministers are jailed and are unable to stand for office in future. Everyone has a role to play in ensuring that a government functions as per the mandate given to it by the people. The military has no role to play internally, as they are there to safe guard the nations borders.
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Nov 12, 2015 05:16pm
@A Sheikh It is not the military's role to catch and deal with corrupt politicians. They have a far more important role to play by guarding your borders. For corrupt politicians, you have the media and the law enforcement agencies including the courts. These institutions needs to be strengthened so they can do their jobs well and act as a deterrent. Involving the army in everything is not going to improve things internally. It is not the job of the armed forces to run the country. You have an elected government and bureaucrats for that reason.
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Nov 12, 2015 05:46pm
The article comes across as defensive rather than objective. What makes you think these concerns haven't been raised privately? The Civilian government is accountable directly to the electorate, why shouldn't their shortfalls be made public?
Politicians are ignoring/facilitating inactivity in the judicary and corruption in the police force. If these two factors were removed then terrorism in Pakistan would be reduced drastically. Currently we are fighting with one hand tied behind our backs.
If you handed over the governance, resources and manpower of the police to the military within 5 years it'd be ship shape.
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Nov 12, 2015 05:58pm
It is because of military that Pakistan still exists and is not become like Afghanistan or Iraq..thanks to Pak Army..
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Nov 12, 2015 06:18pm
That's an editorial !!!!
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Nov 12, 2015 06:25pm
@devon , that is not democracy...the democracy is where elected individuals serve the people and the nation...and are not busy expanding family businesses... democracy is not about who controls whom.
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Nov 12, 2015 06:35pm
while questioning the success of military operations in NW agency, the writer mentions that military operation in South Waziristan Agency in 2009 is yet to see the normalization of life there. so this is exactly what army is trying to point out to us.
military operations only complement the wider spectrum of government efforts of restoring its writ in area. military operation creates an enabling environment for the government to prevent re emergence/growth of militants in that area. government has to take political, economic and other steps so the people are well settled back in their lives and all means and ways for re emergence of militants are effectively blocked by dismantling their funding mechanism, speedy trials of the apprehended militants and their sympathizers etc.
otherwise return of militancy will only be a matter of time and once it comes, it will be even more difficult to handle /control as the locals might have decided to side with them.
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Nov 12, 2015 06:41pm
@Merey Aziz Hamwatno
Good governance will mean that IDPs returning will see sincere government efforts in restarting the disturbed life cycle i.e people given money and resources to rebuild houses, start their business, schools repaired or reconstructed, hospitals reopened with staff present to serve, and so on and so forth.
all this is not the domain of the army.
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Nov 12, 2015 06:48pm
Why divide the people in Military-Civil?We all are one, that is,Pakistanis first and any one else after wards Every one must see the elimination of terrorism and extremism from the root.
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Nov 12, 2015 06:54pm
And when will our civilian Govt. will take initiative to resolve the issues. Are they serious to solve the problems are just putting on the committees. Do they need to be practical or just talking will heel all the wounds. Correct me if I am wrong, do ever Govt. call for meeting to discuss the progress on NAP. I hope never.
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Nov 12, 2015 06:56pm
@Shakir The article it self is well thought of and well analysed,though there is a scope of having a different opinion.It is not nonsense any way.
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Nov 12, 2015 07:29pm
A gutsy editorial. It brings out the anguish in a lucid manner.
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Nov 12, 2015 07:37pm
@Sabiha Agreed
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Nov 12, 2015 08:26pm
@ayub;
'Certainly this will convey a wrong message of frictions in the working relation between the civilian and military leadership.'
To the contrary, it would deliver the right message to Washington, they need to know that Pakistan is no londer taking dictation.
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Nov 12, 2015 09:03pm
The fact is that Military action must be immediately followed up with reinforced and effective civilian administration as well as with settlement of political issues from position of strength. Military action alone cannot resolve the problem in terms of long term considerations. We have examples in Iraq and Afghanistan where military victory alone was not sufficient to bring long term stability because the of the US government's failure to plan and implement an effective civilian governance system. In our own country, a glaring example is Swat where years after the successful military operation, the army is still holding the fort because the civilian part of the government has failed to deliver an effective governance system. It is obvious that the civilian government is not doing its job for one reason or another. Recent public statement by GHQ represents the frustration with inaction of the civilian Govt and it is OK to share it with public because the public needs to know
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Nov 12, 2015 10:18pm
Democracy has failed miserably in Pakistan because of the incompetent/corrupt politicians. These politicians have control over the state resources and they do not want to change the current state of affairs of the state, so that they can keep plundering the national wealth. These politicians are never serious and will never be serious to implement the NAP in its true letter and spirit. ISPR statement shows the frustration of Armed forces after all the sacrifices and achievements they have made to eliminate terrorism. We are sick of this man made Democracy which has failed to deliver in Pakistan. Armed forces are doing the right thing, because they are the protector of our freedom.
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Nov 12, 2015 11:38pm
I don't know what is dawns agenda in military bashing but let's talk ground results and reality :
Karachi is peaceful due to gen sharif not pm sharif.
Militancy has gone record lows due to army not civil gov.
Army is going full throttle on Cpec whereas the civilians are trying to figure out how to make extra few bucks!
General sharif is thinking about Pakistan whereas pm sharif is thinking about his business empire only!
So yeah I support the military when they literally bash the civilians!
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Nov 13, 2015 12:06am
Very good and balanced advice for both.
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Nov 13, 2015 12:31am
Long live Pak Army.
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Nov 13, 2015 01:09am
The civilians will do nothing because they are accountable to no one. If the military wants the civilians to do something there has to be a check on civilians like midterm elections for the provincial assemblies. At the very least at the provincial level the civilians will be more mindful. That would be a start.
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Nov 13, 2015 03:13am
First rear the terrorists. Call them strategic depth and what not, and now when terrorists were going out of hand, started military actions costing billions of rupees, these military geniuses now wants to lecture the civilian government? Strange. Did they ask the civilian government when they were creating blundering stupidity of rearing a monster to fight India, so that their plush residential zones are forever maintained from the budget of this under-developed country. On what ground they even open their mouth.
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Nov 13, 2015 07:52am
Dah ,you think the civilian govt will do anything good without pressure? On the otherhand the military is doing a wonderful job.
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Nov 13, 2015 08:51am
@devon But is this a democratic goverment? In democracy there is accountability.
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Nov 13, 2015 09:13am
"The civilians need to do more.The military needs to be wiser " .There could not be saner advice .
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Nov 13, 2015 12:41pm
..Governments come and go but the establishment remains.That is why they are worried about the future and fat of NAP which is certainly forming the new face of pakistan civil society.
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Nov 13, 2015 01:03pm
Your last sentence "The civilians need to do more. The military needs to be wiser" says a lot but not all. Civilians need to prove their credentials to the people by outperforming the military in all aspects of governance. They have to earn respect that has been lost gradually since the introduction of corruption by the late PM Ghulam Mohammed; with each successive government performing even worse than their predecessors.
Respect is earned by performance. See where Turkey stands today.
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